Free walk in South Ogden raises awareness of postpartum depression
Karen Phippen of Layton is pictured talking with her daughter, Sarah, who is 9, about Sarah's baby pictures. Phippen is an organizer of a Climb Out of the Darkness event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016, at the Ogden Nature Center. The event is an effort to raise awareness and funds for research and support for those with postpartum depression.
Karen Phippen of Layton is an organizer of a Climb Out of the Darkness event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016, at the Ogden Nature Center. The event is an effort to raise awareness and funds for research and support for those with postpartum depression. Phippen is seen here with the baby pictures of her daughter, Sarah Phippen who is 9.
Karen Phippen of Layton is pictured talking with her daughter, Sarah, who is 9, about Sarah's baby pictures. Phippen is an organizer of a Climb Out of the Darkness event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016, at the Ogden Nature Center. The event is an effort to raise awareness and funds for research and support for those with postpartum depression.
Karen Phippen plays with her son, David, who is 7, while her daughter, Lucy, 4, waits for her lunch. The full-time mother is helping to organize a Climb Out of the Darkness event beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, 2016, at the Ogden Nature Center. The event is an effort to raise awareness and funds for research and support for those with postpartum depression.
LAYTON — If there’s anything that Karen Phippen wanted to be, it was a good mom.
That’s why postpartum depression that got in the way of her goals was particularly troubling for her, especially when she found herself raging.
“The only way I could deal with it was to work out,” she said. She also expressed gratitude for home schooling. “If I didn’t have to get out of bed, I would have stayed there,” she said.
Now, she wants other women to know that help is available and that they are not alone.
Phippen is one of the organizers of an event that begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 18, at the South Ogden Nature Park, 575 South 1175 East. Climb out of the Darkness is a free walk designed to raise both funds and awareness for postpartum depression.
The event is a walk through the area around signs that educate the public about postpartum depression and how to get help or to be supportive of those who need help.
Donations are welcome. Everyone who contributes or raises $100 will get a shirt. Donations may be made at the website crowdrise.com. Donations go to Postpartum Progress, a nonprofit organization that strives to raise awareness and fight the stigma behind maternal mental illness.
Phippen said she enjoys mothering and was surprised to have symptoms of depression after she delivered some of her five children. With support from her husband and family, she is functioning well now.
Phippen said when she thought about it, she could see why her body wasn’t functioning normally.
“It’s a major event in your life that affects hormone levels and depletes your body,” she said. “At the same time, you are caring for a baby.”
She’d like to let other mothers know that they can get back to normal also.
“If they are aware that they are at risk, they will get help sooner,” she said.
Also an organizer of the event, Alicia Glascock said families need to be aware because postpartum depression effects the whole family.
“Many moms don’t even realize they have it because they might not feel sad, but might have other debilitating features such as intrusive thoughts or panic attacks,” she said.
Glascock said the community needs to care about this issue because mothers are at risk.
“Suicide is the second-leading cause of death the first year after childbirth,” she said. “That is not OK with me. If PPD is left untreated it can have devastating effects on the mother, child and family as a whole. We need to share the signs and make more resources available.”
Phippen said the event is called “Climbing out of the Darkness” because it symbolizes climbing out of mood disorders. She said the disorder needs specific treatment by those who can address postpartum depression.
“A bad thought would pop into my head,” she said. “It’s something you have to learn to calm.”
In addition to the annual walk, Phippen and Glascock also hold regular support group meetings from 7 to 9 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of the month at Arrivals Birth Services, 1190 E. 5425 South, South Ogden.
Information about the Ogden support group Powerful Postpartum Support is available at 801-663-1388 or at powerfulpostpartum@gmail.com.
“In the group, so many women said, ‘I didn’t dare talk to anyone. I didn’t dare say anything until it got worse and worse and worse,'” Phippen said.
She hopes women will get help early.
Phippen said she dealt with her depression through therapy and physical exercise. She said other women benefit from medication.
According to information distributed by Postpartum Progress, one in seven mothers experiences postpartum depression, yet only 15 percent of them receive professional help.
The information says that untreated postpartum depression may lead to impaired bonding with babies, cognitive delays in toddlers and more limited control and aggression for older children.
You may reach reporter JaNae Francis at 801-625-4228. Follow her on Twitter at @JaNaeFrancisSE or like her on Facebook.